It’s 1999, and Marco Pantani is riding high after his Tour de France victory - both the bad boy of cycling, and the saviour of the sport. The 1999 Giro D’Italia seems to be made for him, and he leads the race by over 20 minutes - until a late-stage disqualification stops the pirate in his bike tracks. With the other riders overjoyed, rumours about criminal betting, conspiracies - and even the mafia - abound, but the pirate refuses to go down without a fight. As Pantani flies too close to the sun, who might be watching from the shadows? New episodes released Thursday. If you’re in the UK, listen to the full series of Sport’s Strangest Crimes - first on BBC Sounds - bbc.in/3PbXQxv Narrated by Hugh Dennis, with the voice of Iain Ferrier Sound design: Rich Evans
Additional production: Lorenzo Bodrero, Matt Kenyon and Ed Morrish Writer and producer: Katie Sayer
Executive producer: Jon Holmes

4. Icarus Falls

Sports

Warning: This episode contains strong language. In the eighth episode, Bruiser’s friends and family reckon with the aftermath of his death - and the wrestling world rallies round to remember one of the greats. Bruiser Brody was a wrestling star in the 1970s and 1980s; a classic villain of the ring, and a foil for wrestling heroes like Bruno Sammartino and Ric Flair. When he was killed in the dressing room before a fight in Puerto Rico, it shocked the world of wrestling, and pulled back the curtain on a world full of rumour, fakeouts and mystery. Comedian and wrestling fan Adam Hills tells the story of the larger than life character behind the truly unbelievable tale.
 
 
Producer: Ilona Toller
Assistant Producer: John Rogers
Executive Producers: Robert Nicholson and Will Yates
Sound Design: Artemis Irvine
Mix: Nigel Appleton
 
A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.

8. Heel

In the seventh episode, Puerto Rico reels from news of the killing; but as Jose pleads self-defence, the police and courts struggle to get to the bottom of what really happened to Bruiser Brody. Bruiser Brody was a wrestling star in the 1970s and 1980s; a classic villain of the ring, and a foil for wrestling heroes like Bruno Sammartino and Ric Flair. When he was killed in the dressing room before a fight in Puerto Rico, it shocked the world of wrestling, and pulled back the curtain on a world full of rumour, fakeouts and mystery. Comedian and wrestling fan Adam Hills tells the story of the larger than life character behind the truly unbelievable tale.
 
Producer: Ilona Toller
Assistant Producer: John Rogers
Executive Producers: Robert Nicholson and Will Yates
Sound Design: Artemis Irvine
Mix: Nigel Appleton
 
A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds

7. The People vs Invader One

In the sixth episode, Adam explores the extraordinary story of Invader One - Jose Huertas Gonzalez - as he prepares for a showdown with Bruiser Brody. Bruiser Brody was a wrestling star in the 1970s and 1980s; a classic villain of the ring, and a foil for wrestling heroes like Bruno Sammartino and Ric Flair. When he was killed in the dressing room before a fight in Puerto Rico, it shocked the world of wrestling, and pulled back the curtain on a world full of rumour, fakeouts and mystery. Comedian and wrestling fan Adam Hills tells the story of the larger than life character behind the truly unbelievable tale.
 
 
Producer: Ilona Toller
Assistant Producer: John Rogers
Executive Producers: Robert Nicholson and Will Yates
Sound Design: Artemis Irvine
Mix: Nigel Appleton
 
A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.

6. Invader

In the fifth episode, as the WWE takes over the American market, Bruiser turns to the even more high octane and raw world of wrestling in Puerto Rico - where he once again encounters Invader One, a local hero who he’s feuded with before. Bruiser Brody was a wrestling star in the 1970s and 1980s; a classic villain of the ring, and a foil for wrestling heroes like Bruno Sammartino and Ric Flair. When he was killed in the dressing room before a fight in Puerto Rico, it shocked the world of wrestling, and pulled back the curtain on a world full of rumour, fakeouts and mystery. Comedian and wrestling fan Adam Hills tells the story of the larger than life character behind the truly unbelievable tale.  
Producer: Ilona Toller
Assistant Producer: John Rogers
Executive Producers: Robert Nicholson and Will Yates
Sound Design: Artemis Irvine
Mix: Nigel Appleton
 
A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds

5. Island of Enchantment

Warning: This episode contains strong language. In the fourth episode, the increasingly confident Bruiser Brody starts clashing with managers and promoters, earning a wild card reputation that puts him in danger. Bruiser Brody was a wrestling star in the 1970s and 1980s; a classic villain of the ring, and a foil for wrestling heroes like Bruno Sammartino and Ric Flair. When he was killed in the dressing room before a fight in Puerto Rico, it shocked the world of wrestling, and pulled back the curtain on a world full of rumour, fakeouts and mystery. Comedian and wrestling fan Adam Hills tells the story of the larger than life character behind the truly unbelievable tale.
 
 
Producer: Ilona Toller
Assistant Producer: John Rogers
Executive Producers: Robert Nicholson and Will Yates
Sound Design and Mix: Mike Woolley
 
A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds

4. Icarus Falls

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